The Mother
by nikkimurray
Summary: Nick and Jenny are dating . . . and somebody's not too happy about it!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again! **

**Here's a rather short story that just popped into my head, so I thought I'd share it with you lol. **

**I suppose it could follow on from both Mutual Attraction or Getting the Job Done, but could also stand by itself. **

**Enjoy and review :D **

Chapter 1

Jenny and Cutter fell into her apartment giggling, as he was tickling her from behind whilst she was fumbling with her keys. She threw them on the side and turned around to face him, smiling. She wrapped her arms around him and he pulled her into himself, kissing her hungrily.

"I've been dying to do that all day," he said as he pulled away to look at her.

"It's not like we can canoodle all over the ARC. Lester has made it clear that he's not happy about us," she pointed out with a smile. "He thinks you cloud my judgment."

"Do I?" Cutter smirked, running his hands down her back.

"Meh," Jenny shrugged. "To be honest, I think he just doesn't like it because he didn't hire me to sleep with the help."

"Oh is that what I am; the help?" Cutter said in mock-shock.

"You most certainly are," Jenny teased. "Actually, I think I need you assistance with something in the bedroom right now."

"And as the help, I am happy to oblige," Cutter laughed, pulling her in again.

They staggered over to the sofa, lips entwined and working furiously at ripping each others clothes off. Just then, Jenny's house phone rang.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Cutter asked as she kissed his neck.

"Let the machine pick it up," she breathed down his ear, her hands working on his belt buckle.

Cutter didn't need any more encouragement, and let his hands wonder around her buttocks and up her back . . . working their way under her open blouse . . .

"_Jennifer!" _a harsh and incredibly posh woman's voice barked from the answering machine, making them both start.

Jenny whipped her head around, and stared at it in horror as if it were an actual person speaking the words and not a machine.

"_This is your mother_ . . ._ I'm incredibly tired of getting your voice mail; if I wanted to talk to a machine, I'd converse with my television!"_

Huffing, Jenny got off Cutter's knee and started buttoning up her blouse.

"What are you doing?" Cutter asked in disappointment.

"I can't be undressed when my mother's talking into the room!"

" _. . . you would think that you live in another country for the amount me and your father hear from you. We are not going to be around forever you know! . . ."_

"Unfortunately," Jenny muttered.

"_I mean, how hard is it to pick up the telephone and ring us hmm? Or God-forbid actually make an appearance at one of the dinner's we invite you to! . . ."_

"Is she going to stop at anytime?" Cutter asked in amusement, staring at the machine as it spued out insult after insult.

"Oh no, she's just getting into her stride," Jenny smiled, although the smile didn't reach her eyes as it usually did.

" _. . . I had to hear from Mary that you had split up with Mark; honestly I could have died with embarrassment! How many other mother's can say that their own daughter doesn't tell them they've broken off their engagement!?And Christopher has informed us you have a new man on the go . . ."_

Cutter's ears pricked up at these words, knowing they were about him. He looked around at Jenny in disbelief.

"Christopher?"

"My brother, Chris," Jenny replied, with a slightly apologetic look. "I did tell him not to say anything . . . he must have cracked under interrogation . . ."

" _. . . for goodness sake Jennifer, you flit from man to man like a common prostitute!" _

"I don't flit from man to man!" Jenny shouted at the machine in a scandalized voice.

" _. . . you're going to get a reputation for yourself! You haven't even had the courtesy to introduce him to your own parents; this is not how we raised you at all! Are you ashamed of him? You used to have such impeccable taste when it came to men. Well your father and I what to meet this man, the one you've thrown away your entire future for . . ._

"Oh no!" Jenny said in a panicked voice, approaching the machine and arguing with it as though it had the capability to argue back. "No . . . no way!'

"_We'll expect you both on Thursday night. NO EXCUSES JENNIFER! I shall see you then at six sharp, and please inform your . . . gentleman friend . . . that we dress appropriately for dinner."_

There was a long beep when her mother had finally hung up the phone. Jenny looked as though she had been slapped.

"God, she sounds scary," Cutter admitted, smiling at her expression.

Jenny laughed sarcastically.

"Hitler got all his tricks from _that_ woman," she said in a shaky voice, pointing at the now silent answering machine. "And he dialed it down a notch!"

"Just calm down - " Cutter began, getting up to put his arm around her.

"CALM DOWN!" she shrieked in aspiration. "Did you not hear what she said? She wants us for dinner on Thursday!"

"I know," Cutter said in the most soothing tone he could muster whilst still being mildly amused at the situation. "So we go; it's just one night - "

"Believe me, she can do all the damage she wants to in one night," Jenny sighed, resting her forehead on his chest.

"Your not ashamed of me are you?" Cutter said quietly, voicing the thought he had kept in the back of him head for a while.

"Of course not," Jenny replied quickly, looking up at him. "It's them I'm ashamed of!"

"Look," Cutter sighed, putting his hands on her shoulders. "We go - no listen!" he said firmly as Jenny opened her mouth to argue back. " - we make an appearance. We go, we drink, we eat, we nod along politely, and then we leave . . . it's no big deal."

Jenny still looked doubtful; her face fallen into a look of worry. But she nodded, some-what reluctantly.

"Okay,"she sighed. "I suppose you would have had to meet them eventually anyway. We might as well get it over with."

"Great," Cutter replied, kissing her on the forehead.

There was silence for a second; Jenny still looking unreasonably upset. But if there was one thing Cutter had learned since dating Jenny Lewis was how to pull her out of a bad mood.

"So you flit from man to man, huh?" Cutter smirked.

Jenny huffed playfully, and threw a cushion that hit him square in the face.

********


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Thursday came around quicker than expected; before Cutter knew it, he was sitting in the passengers seat being driven by Jenny to her parents house. She had scrutinized him before they had left his house; at one point forcing him to remove his suit so that she could re-iron it. He had actually asked her if she was joking at first, as she had not so much as thrown some of his clothes in the wash before - she just wasn't that type of woman, as Helen hadn't been either. But the look on her face had informed him that she clearly was not messing around. So obediently, he had stripped, handed over his clothes and stood in his kitchen almost starkers waiting for her to finish. Apparently, Jenny's parents were perfectionists and expected everyone around them to be up to the same standard.

_So that's were she gets it from, _Cutter though to himself in amusement as he watched Jenny feverishly pressing his pants; her tongue in between her teeth in concentration.

He valued his life too much to actually say this to her though. He had learned the hard way not to so much as joke with Jenny when she was stressed about something, and if he did so it was at his own risk. He supposed that this was what it was like dating someone who was as passionate and as highly-strung as she was.

She, herself, looked beautiful. She had took hours to get ready; continually doing her makeup, taking it off, and reapplying it in a slightly different manner. She had tried on virtually every dress she owned (which took a while), finally deciding on a elegant black dress. Her hair was curled in soft ringlets that frames her face wonderfully.

She had handed back his suit and marked him as passable, and so they had began the long one hour drive. Jenny was unusually quiet; usually Cutter couldn't get a word in edgeways. As he looked around at her, he observed that her face was set and stony; her forehead creased with slight worry lines. Her hands were clamped so tightly around the wheel that her knuckles had turned bright red, which contrasted greatly with her pale complection.

"You alright?" Cutter asked quietly, braking the silence for the first time.

"I'm fine," she stated coldly, before her expression softened, and she looked around at him, adding, "I'm sorry, I'm just absolutely dreading this."

"You look nervous," Cutter pointed out quietly; her obvious nerves were rather unsettling.

"Do I?" she asked in a worried voice. "I'm sorry, I just don't know what I've got you into here."

"Surely their not that bad?"

Jenny snorted in way of a reply, but didn't qualify his question with a real reply.

"What's going on between you and you mum?" Cutter asked softly, not wanting to pry, but curious all the same.

"It's complicated," Jenny replied, not looking around. "We just don't get on . . . never have, even when I was little."

"And your dad?"

"He's . . ." Jenny began thoughtfully. "He's not so bad. He's a good man, but when I was younger, he never really took an interest. He just went to work, came home, read the paper, and went to bed. Whenever I had a problem, he'd just hand me a credit card."

Cutter nodded, not quite knowing what to say. His upbringing couldn't have been more different to Jenny's. His mum had been a kindly house-wife and his dad a cheerful postman; perhaps they weren't rich or glamorous, but he had had a happy childhood; the opposite, it seems, that Jenny had.

They lapsed back into silence again for a while. Cutter had to admit that he was petrified; it was obviously important to Jenny that he made a good impression, but the trouble was that he had never really interacted with middle-class people before; he didn't really know how to behave. Jenny was middle-class of course, but she was different. Under the posh school mistress voice (that was a massive turn-on in it's own right), she was not a snob at all; merely lady-like. However, considering the sound of her voice over the answering machine, this was clearly not the case for her mother.

"What . . . what do I even say?" Cutter asked, trying not to give his nerves away.

But when Jenny glanced at him, it was with a rather knowing smile.

"Just stay away from _'Hi, I'm the man who's sleeping with your daughter' _-"

"Damn, that was going to be my opening," Cutter teased, but upon catching her horrified look he added, "I'm joking!"

She reached over and slapped him playfully on the arm.

"Don't joke! This is serious!" she said with a reluctant smile.

"Look," he said, stroking her arm. "I love you, and you're parents are going to see that, and that's all that matters right?"

Jenny laughed, turning her eyes back to the road.

"You just wait."

********


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Soon enough, they were pulling into a magnificent drive way next to one of the biggest houses Cutter had ever seen. There was a fountain next to where they parked that trickled a thin stream of water, and the garden looked so vigorously manicured that there was not a leaf or a blade of grass out of place.

"You grew up here?" Cutter gapped at Jenny in disbelief when he had finally found his voice.

"Yes, it's all just come screaming back to me," Jenny replied in a cool voice, surveying the house with a mixture of disgust and fear.

Cutter breathed deeply; suddenly his legs felt like jelly. How on earth would someone who lived HERE ever find his company pleasant?

"Come on then," he said, his voice much braver than he felt, undoing his seat belt and making to open the door. But as he looked around at Jenny, she had not moved, and was biting her lip. "Jenny?" he added, sitting back again.

"Maybe we shouldn't - "

"Jenny, come on!" Cutter said in slight aspiration. "We're here now, we've got to go in!"

She sat back and sighed deeply, obviously more reluctant to go in than he was.

"Jenny Lewis, if you don't get your privately educated buttocks out of this car right now, I'm going to tell them the joke about the monkey and grapefruit," Cutter said in his most forced-serious voice he could.

"You wouldn't!" Jenny gasped, looking around at him in shock.

"Oh I would," Cutter replied in a mock-dangerous whisper.

"But it's obscene!"

"Well, you know what you've got to do don't you?"

She sighed again, but this time with a slight smile on her face.

"Come on then," she said eventually, opening her door.

"That's my girl," he teased, following suit.

They approached the humongous oak front door slowly, both of them seemingly wanting to delay actually entering the house. Or mansion in Cutter's opinion. As they stopped outside it, Jenny paused again, her hand hovering over the doorbell. Finally, she took a deep breath and pushed it. She stood back, flicking her hair in a way that Cutter had come to notice she usually did when she was nervous.

"Stop worrying," he whispered, putting his arm around her waist. She gulped slightly and nodded.

The door opened slowly, and a frightened-looking maid poked her head around it.

"I'm here to see my mother," Jenny said in a rather condescending voice that Cutter certainly wasn't used to hearing. She had clearly had a lot of experience in ordering maids around in her lifetime.

The maid nodded enthusiastically and whispered what sounded like _"of course, of course" _in a tiny mouse voice. She opened the door wider, and Jenny walked in first, Cutter following close by. The maid shut the door behind them.

"Hi, I'm Nick Cutter," he said politely, holding out his hand to the maid.

She looked at Jenny with confusion, before taking his hand with a shaky one of her own.

"I'm Beth," she said in the same quiet voice.

Cutter nodded with a smile, and looked around at Jenny, who was surveying him with a quizzical look as she handed her coat to the maid. Clearly, it was not good form for guests to address _'the help'._

"Bethany, you are required to announce company when they arrive," said the familiar posh voice from behind them.

Cutter and Jenny turned around to see a woman walking across a hall that was bigger than the entire downstairs of Cutter's house. She looked as though she was approaching fifty, although she was a very handsome woman. The image of Jenny, in fact. Her hair was a deep shade of auburn and pulled back into an elegant bun. Her eyes were exactly the same shade of brown as Jenny's, although they had none of her warmth in them. She walked with a very upright posture, and surveyed both Cutter and Jenny with a very stern look as she approached them. The maid mumbled her apologies and said something about checking on dinner before scampering off.

"You're looking well Jennifer," her mum said stiffly, looking her daughter up and down.

"So are you," Jenny replied rather coldly. It was more like strangers greeting each other than mother and daughter. "I would like you to meet Nicholas Cutter," Jenny added, gesturing at Cutter.

He held out his hand.

"Nick," he corrected with a smile. "It's lovely to meet you."

She looked at him coldly for a second, taking in his entire appearance with a less-than-pleased look on her face. Finally, she placed her hand in his briefly.

"And you," she said tonelessly. "I'm Felicity Lewis."

She withdrew her hand quickly as though he had a contagious disease she was afraid to catch, and looked around at Jenny.

"That dress is rather low cut Jennifer," she tutted, and after a slight pause, she added, "If you would care to follow me into the lounge?"

She turned her back on them and walked back down the hall; her black heels seemingly making more noise than was usual on the marble floor.

Jenny closed her eyes for a second as though praying for strength, before turning to Cutter.

"Sorry," she mouthed, giving him an apologetic look before following her mother.

********


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Cutter looked around the house in quiet awe as he followed Jenny. It was so incredible, with the crystal chandeliers, the ridiculously expensive paintings on the silver-coloured walls, not to mention the sheer size of the place! It look them almost five minutes to reach the lounge.

"What can I get you to drink Nick?" Felicity asked stiffly, walking over to the bar in the corner of the room whilst Cutter took a seat next to Jenny on the plush pearl-white sofa.

"I'll take a beer if you have one?" Cutter replied politely, fidgeting slightly. He felt as though he belonged here as much as a pink elephant did.

Felicity straightened up and looked at him, her stony eyes boring into him.

"A beer?" she repeated in cold amusement.

"Er . . . yes please," Cutter said uncertainly, completely nonplus to what the confusion was.

"A beer it is then," she said as she busied herself, the hint of humor still evident in her voice. "And your usual Jennifer?"

"Please," Jenny replied, matching her mothers icy tone.

A few moments later, Felicity served Cutter with his beer and Jenny with a white wine, and sat down on a chair opposite them with her own gin and tonic. Silence fell for a few seconds as Jenny and Cutter sipped their drinks uncomfortably. Felicity, however, looked perfectly at ease as she shook her glass slowly in a circular motion so that the sound of ice cubes clunking against the glass cut into the quietness. All the time she was surveying Cutter.

"So no Christopher tonight?" Jenny asked, obviously thinking it was better to make polite conversation than sit in silence.

"Unfortunately your brother couldn't make it tonight, he couldn't get away," Felicity replied with a slightly warmer tone. "He's studying English Literature at Oxford," she added to Cutter, the gloating in her voice evident.

"That's . . . that's lovely," Cutter stammered, cringing at himself that he could come up with nothing better to reply with.

"Isn't it," Felicity said, returning to her formed reserved tone. "Jennifer got excepted as well . . . she was the brightest girl in her class. Then she decided to turn it down - "

"Oh we're going to start are we?" Jenny muttered into her glass as she took a large gulp of her wine.

"I was merely commenting on how clever you were, I don't see how that's a bad thing," Felicity answered with satisfaction. "Honestly, you're so sensitive."

Another steely silence ensued. Cutter glanced at Jenny beside him and watched her tilt her head back and down the rest of her wine in one.

"Another one Jennifer?" Felicity asked, obviously noticing her daughters empty glass.

Jenny nodded and handed over her glass.

"Nick? Would you like another _beer_ ?" she asked, putting particular emphasis on the last word as she made her way back to the bar.

"No thank you," Cutter replied, gesturing at the still half full glass in his hand.

"Where's Dad?" Jenny asked.

"Oh he's working late," Felicity replied, plopping ice cubes into her refreshed glass. "He'll be back for dinner."

Jenny nodded and accepted her glass back. Cutter watched them make eye contact for a split second; Jenny hadn't been over-exaggerating when she said they didn't get on with each other. In fact, judging by the look they exchanged; they loathed each other. Or at least Jenny loathed her mother.

"So Nick," Felicity began as she perched back on her chair, rousing him from his thoughts. "I know nothing about you. So tell me; have you ever been married?"

From beside him, Cutter heard Jenny scowl.

"I . . .er," Cutter stuttered, thrown by this rather direct question. "Er . . . yes I have."

"Divorced?"

"Yes," he replied, deciding in a spit second that it was better to say that than that Helen was dead. Or God-forbid tell the truth.

"It's an awful thing divorce," she continued wistfully. "Now-a-days, people break wedding vows like their breaking school rules. What was the reason for your divorce?"

"Er . . ." Cutter repeated, feeling completely ambushed.

"Mother, is this interrogation really necessary? Jenny interjected with her thumb and forefinger on the bridge of her nose.

"I'm just trying to get to know Nick a little better, that's all," Felicity replied in a false-sweet voice. "You don't mind, do you Nick?"

"I . . ."

"So what was it?" she continued as if there had been no interruption. "Adultery?"

"No," Cutter replied quietly. "It was . . . different interests I suppose."

"Different interests," Felicity repeated in disbelief. "That's very interesting. Tell me, what interests do you two share?"

Cutter and Jenny exchanged a meaningful look; if only she knew that what they had in common came from sixty-five million years ago . . .

"Started the party without me I see," came a stern male voice from the doorway that saved them from answering.

The man who was obviously Jenny's Father strode into the room. He had dark hair like Jenny, was extremely tall, and wearing a crisp grey suit.

"Hello Princess," he said with a smile to Jenny, kissing her on the forehead.

She stood up and hugged him, for the first time that night actually looking pleased.

"It's good to see you Dad," she said as he hugged her back. "It's been a while."

"Too long if you ask me," he replied kindly as they broke apart. "You're looking beautiful as always. And this is . . .?" he added, looking around at Cutter.

"This is Nick Cutter," she said, looking around.

Cutter stood up immediately, and offered his hand, which Jenny's father took.

"Nice to meet you Nick," he smiled, shaking his hand with a firm grasp.

"And you Sir."

"Oh we'll have none of this 'Sir' business," he replied, waving his hand slightly. "Call me John."

Cutter nodded, feeling relief bubble up in the pit of his stomach. Her dad seemed nice, at least . . .

"Dinner is served Mrs Lewis," the small voice of the maid announced into the room.

"Thank you Bethany," Felicity said, standing up also. She had previously been watching the warm exchange between Jenny and her father with cold impassiveness. "If you would all like to make your way to the dinning room?"

The table they were seated at was incredibly big. Jenny and Cutter were sat opposite each other, and Mr and Mrs Lewis at both ends of the table. They were all served red wine (that looked more expensive than Cutter's car), and a salad for the starter.

"So what do you do Nick?" John asked curiously after taking a sip of his drink.

"I'm a Professor of Evolutionary Zoology Sir . . . I mean John," Cutter replied immediately.

"Interesting," John nodded politely. "So how did you two meet then?"

"Nick and I work together," Jenny interjected, placing her napkin on her knee.

"What on earth would the Government need a PR woman and a Professor working together for?" Felicity asked coldly.

"We can't really talk about it," Jenny answered, her eyes on her plate.

"Yes Fliss," John interrupted, looking at his wife hard. "She's under the Official Secrets Act. You don't want to get her arrested do you?"

Felicity dropped the subject reluctantly, and they ate in silence for a few moments.

"Why are you picking the walnuts out of your salad Jennifer?" Felicity said in a scornful voice. "That's extremely bad manners."

"I'm allergic to walnuts," Jenny replied in an icy tone.

"Since when?"

"Birth."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"Well would you like me to prove it to you?" Jenny snapped, holding up a walnut. "I'll swallow this, and shout 'I told you so' when I go into anaphylactic shock!"

"You're being incredibly childish - " Felicity began, but her husband cut her off.

"Can you two just let us have dinner in peace?" John shouted over the babble. "Honestly, you're_ both_ acting like children!"

It was clear to Cutter that Jenny and her mother arguing was a regular occurrence when they see each other, as her father looked fed up rather than shocked. They finished their starter in silence, and were brought some sort of precious fish dish for the first course.

"So how's business dad?" Jenny asked in a forced-clam voice; her father owned a law firm in the City.

"Same as always," John replied, seemingly relieved at the change in conversation. "People commit unspeakable crimes . . . we get them off with it."

He laughed joyfully, and Jenny and Cutter smiled at the joke.

"So Nick, I feel like we're ignoring you," Felicity said in a fake cheery voice.

Cutter felt his stomach do a back flip . . . here we go again . . .

"Do you have any children?" she continued, smiling at him.

"No, no kids in afraid," Cutter replied, trying to keep his eyes on his food.

"But you do want them in the future?"

"Er . . . yes . . . yes I do," Cutter said truthfully.

He looked up involuntary and caught Jenny's eye. She was smiling at him gently. They had never discussed the subject of children before, but it was clear from her expression that his answer had pleased her.

"Yes well," Felicity continued, clearly not as thrilled with his answer as Jenny had been. "Children are a handful."

"Jenny's too young to be thinking about children," John interjected, loosening the napkin that was in his collar.

"But Nick's not, are you?" Felicity smiled. "Remind me how old are you again?"

"I'm forty," Cutter muttered.

"Oh, barely ten years older than me," she tittered in the same falsely-sweet voice. "Not much time to plan."

"Can we just drop the subject please?" Jenny interrupted impatiently.

"Mr Lewis?" the maid whispered in the same timid voice. "There's . . . there's a call for you in you're study."

"If you'll excuse me," John sighed standing up slowly and re-buttoning his blazer. "I've been waiting for this call all day. It shouldn't take long . . ." he added as he followed the maid out of the room.

Jenny looked rather agitated, and Cutter could see why; Jenny's fathers presence seemed to keep her mother in check. But now that he was gone . . .

"So Jennifer," Felicity began with relish in her voice. "I saw Mark the other day . . ."

Jenny shoulders seemed to stiffen slightly, but when she spoke, her voice was steady.

"That's nice."

"He's business is going very well," she continued in a probing manner.

"Well I'm happy for him," Jenny said stiffly.

"So is there no way that you two - " Felicity began to ask tentively, but Jenny slammed her knife and fork down on her plate loudly.

"You stop it right now!" she yelled, pointing at her.

"I was only enquiring - "

"Well don't!"

"I only want you to be happy - "

"Happy?" Jenny laughed sarcastically. "_Happy?_ You have NEVER cared about my happiness! Mark is a cheat, and a liar, and you know all of this! Stupidly on my part, it was you I came to that night I found out he was having an affair! But what did you do? You persuaded me to go back to him! Your own daughter!"

"Everyone makes mistakes . . . Mark is no different," Felicity said quietly.

"Well you would know about that, wouldn't you?" Jenny exclaimed, her cheeks tinged red with anger.

"Don't you DARE bring that up!" Felicity shouted, forgetting herself.

"Oh no, we wouldn't want Dad to hear now would we," Jenny laughed rather manically as she got up to leave.

"Just sit down and stop making a scene," Felicity hissed. "You're being immature - "

"And you are a selfish bitch," Jenny spat, picking up her bag. "Come on Nick we're leaving."

She made to storm out, but Felicity followed her, continuing the argument. Up until then, Cutter had been watching them argue in awe, actually unable to believe that Jenny's mother would actually pull something like this with him here. But as the two women left the room, he scampered up and followed, unsure of what to do and what to say. He heard them still bickering down the hall.

" . . . I've watched you do a lot of stupid things in your life Jennifer, but I've said nothing - "

"Hah . . . you've what?!" Jenny laughed in disbelief.

"But I can't let you continue in this relationship with this man!" Felicity continued, making Cutter feel as though she had just stabbed him. "He's a divorcee, and completely unsuitable for you!"

"You know, for a few seconds tonight I thought you'd actually act like my Mother and be happy for me," Jenny said in a cracking voice as she pulled on her coat. "But I was an idiot to think you'd change!"

Jenny turned and opened the door, walking straight out onto the drive way and out of sight. Felicity looked out after her for a few seconds, before turning back to Cutter who was standing frozen in the corridor. Her eyes cold and unreadable. She walked up to him slowly, only stopping when her face was merely inches from his.

"You have to know that she's not serious about you?" she whispered, her head held high. "A beautiful, intelligent, young woman like that interested in _you_ ? No . . . she's just using you. She's more like me than you'll ever know, but she fights it. She thinks that by settling down with some loser like you that she's proving me wrong. But she'll get bored of you eventually, and she'll throw you away just like she did with Mark."

Cutter paused for a few seconds, his heart thudding fast. When she had finished, her eyes studied his face for a reaction.

"Thank you for dinner Mrs Lewis," he nodded numbly, before barging passed her and out of the door after Jenny.

********

**Phew and you think your family's bad lol!. **

**This is the penultimate chapter I'm afraid, as it's only a short story. But I'm going on a well deserved night out tomorrow so I won't be updating until Friday sorry :( **

**However, as always please review! It really does help me improve for future fanfics, as I can learn what you like/don't like about certain stories!**

**Nikki x **


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm very sorry I didn't update on Friday like I promised, I was . . . a little worse for wear lol! Anyway, here is it is, hope you like it :D**

Chapter 5

Cutter made his way into the car, his head still buzzing with Mrs Lewis's words . . . _'she's just using you' . . .'she'll throw you away too' . . .'she's too good for a loser like you' . . . _he got in the passenger seat and slammed the door behind him harder than was necessary. He turned to Jenny who was in the drivers seat. She was so pale that her skin was almost translucent, and her expression was a mingle of shock and disgust. Almost as soon as his seat belt snapped into place, she reversed the car at lightening speed and as soon as they were out of the drive way, she put her foot down and sped off down the darkened lane. Whether it was her eagerness to put as much space between herself and her mother, or just her general unbalanced mood, she was driving like a maniac.

"Maybe I should drive?" Cutter said quietly. "You've had a bit to drink."

"I'm not over the limit," she replied, making a sharp turn.

Cutter fell silent and gazed out of the window at the blur of trees . . . _'she's not serious about you' . . ._ From beside him, he sensed rather than saw Jenny glance at him.

"I'm so sorry about tonight," she said, sounding upset. "My mother was on top form - "

"Don't worry about it," Cutter said, more coldly than he intended.

He felt her arm that was brushing against his stiffen slightly, and he felt a pang of guilt. But he couldn't help himself; what Felicity had said had gotten to him more than it should have. Probably because a tiny part of him had been thinking the same thing since they had started dating. She was too good for him; she was beautiful, sexy and a hell of a lot younger than him. Why would she want to spend the rest of her life with him? Was he was just a temporary fixture until another Mark came along? If he was honest with himself, he couldn't really blame her; he had nothing to offer her. He wasn't exactly payed pittance at the ARC, but he didn't have the money to get her the big house with the white picket fence and the golden retriever . . . he couldn't afford to buy her the expensive clothes and jewelry she deserved. The most expensive present he had gotten her was a bunch of flowers for Valentines day. God, he was such an idiot! And he had thought he was being _romantic_ . . .

"Are you okay?" Jenny's voice yanked him out of his thought train.

"Yeah I'm fine," he answered automatically.

Another silence broke over them, making Cutter feel that the car was a lot smaller than it actually was. They were almost home when Jenny finally spoke.

"When I was thirteen, I came home from school early one day," she began, in an unnaturally shaky voice. "Well I bunked off actually. Anyway, when I walked into the living room, I saw my mum," she paused to take an unsteady breath. "I saw my mum with the pool boy," she turned to look at him, tears glistening in her eyes. "Giving him a nice little bonus package."

"Oh - " Cutter said lamely, unsure of what else to say.

"I know, how cliche," she laughed as her eyes turned back to the road, a tear falling down her cheek. "Anyway, the next week, she shipped me off to boarding school. Probably wanted to keep me away from my dad as much as possible incase I told him her dirty little secret. And that's why we've never got on," she finished.

"That's . . ." Cutter stammered. "That's awful."

"Well you can never quite look at your mother the same way after you've seen her in the position I have," Jenny said quietly, her eyes glazed.

"And you never thought about telling your dad?" Cutter asked, still unable to shake off his cool tone.

Jenny shrugged.

"A couple of times," she said thoughtfully. "But . . . I mean, what would be the point? All it would achieve would be tearing my family apart."

"I think your mum has already done that."

"But it's not just my dad I'd be hurting, it would be my little brother as well," Jenny snapped. "He shouldn't have to hear about that."

"Well you've had to live with it all this time."

"Yes, but I can handle it."

"Clearly not," Cutter muttered, still unable to control the unreasonable anger he had for the woman next to him.

"What the hell is your problem?" Jenny shouted, looking at him in confusion. "I've apologised about tonight, but your acting like it's all my fault! I did say that we shouldn't go!"

"Only because you knew that the truth would all come out!" Cutter yelled back before he could stop himself.

"What truth?"

"The truth that I'm just a poor substitute for Mark and an amusement for you until the next Prince Charming comes along!"

"Is that really what you think of me?" she asked in a scandilised voice, her eyes slipping from the road.

"I honestly don't know anymore."

"Why are you doing this?" Jenny asked in a shocked voice. "I thought we were happy? I thought we were finally over all that drama!"

"Well so did I."

"What - !" Jenny began, before she sighed with a look dawning comprehension. "What did she say to you?"

"What?"

"My mother, _what did she say?"_

"Nothing."

"You're lying," Jenny stated, looking at him hard. "You always look down when you lie! If you don't tell me, I'll turn this car around and go and ask her myself!"

"She didn't say anything to me," Cutter said with gritted teeth.

"JUST TELL ME!" Jenny yelled, her eyes still off the road.

"NO, IT DOESN'T MATTER!"

"WELL IT MATTERS TO ME!" she shouted. "JUST - "

"JENNY, THE ROAD!" Cutter bellowed, noticing at the last second that she had slipped into the wrong lane and that a car was driving straight at them. He reached over and pulled the wheel violently, causing them to hurdle into the bushes at the side of the lane, missing the other car by inches. They both slammed back into their seats due to their tightened seat belts. Cutter looked up over at Jenny; she was breathing hard and her hands was shaking uncontrollably.

"Are you okay?" Cutter breathed, temporarily forgetting his anger.

"I'm fine," she answered in an unnaturally high voice. "I'm sorry, I wasn't concentrating - "

"It's fine, just let me drive now okay?" he said in the gentlest tone he could muster.

She nodded dumbly, still looking straight ahead. In a dream-like state, she got out of the car and swapped places with him, flopping into the passengers seat with a few leaves in her hair. She brushed them out impatiently.

"Maybe we should finish discussing it at home?" she asked.

"Actually, I'm going to drop you off at your apartment," Cutter replied, unable to look her in the eye. She looked around at him in surprise; after all, since they had begun this intense roller coaster of a relationship, they had barely spent a night alone. They either stayed at Jenny's apartment, or at his house.

"Why?" she asked quietly, her voice cracking slightly.

"I just . . . need some time. Some time to think."

Jenny nodded, and looked away from him out of the window as he pulled the car out of the shrubbery.

********

Jenny sighed and rolled over in her very large and very empty bed. She couldn't sleep properly; she missed the feeling of Nick's warm body next to her, and missed the way he'd put his arm around her in his sleep and pull her in to himself closer. She looked over at the empty space next to her. She really hated being this reliant on a man; she was a independent woman, and always had been. However, at some point in this relationship, completely unbeknownst to herself, she must have let her guard down. And when you let someone in, it's an inevitability that they will let you down as Nick had done tonight. Whatever that bitch had said to him had clearly changed everything. Jenny could only imagine what bile her horrid mother had spued out to him when they were alone. But more fool Nick for letting it get to him!

At some point, Jenny must have fallen into an uneasy sleep. All she knew was that she awoke with a start as she heard a crashing noise from somewhere in her lounge. Her confusion dissipated as panic pulsated through her entire body, and for a second she froze. _Someone was in her apartment! _Hardly daring to breath, she slipped out of her bed silently, grabbing the nearest solid thing that was next to her. As she crept towards the door, her heart was beating frantically and her legs felt like lead. She held her object of choice with two hands and raised it, bracing herself. She could hear shuffling behind the door . . . the handle twisted around slowly . . . the door burst open . . .

Jenny heard herself scream, and the trespasser yelled. His voice was familiar . . . the light switch flicked on . . . and it was Cutter.

"NICK!" Jenny screeched, relief overwhelming her, quickly replaced by anger. She shoved him in the chest. "YOU SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME!"

"I'm sorry," he said, looking mildly amused. "I'd didn't mean to frighten you."

"Well then maybe you shouldn't have broken into my house and leapt out at me while I was sleeping!"

"I used the spare key," he sniggered, looking at the object in her hand. "But if I was a murderer, what were you planning to do . . . moisturise me to death?"

She looked at her hand and saw her expensive moisturiser bottle clutched in it.

"That is besides the point!' she exclaimed, trying and failing to stay mad at him.

He looked her up and down, still smiling.

"Are you wearing 'Little Miss' pajamas?"

"Shut up!" Jenny said, blushing as she through the moisturiser at him lightly. "What are you doing here?"

The smile on his face disappeared to be replaced by a furrowed brow.

"Look," he began, running his hand through his blonde hair. "I couldn't leave things the way we did - "

"The way you did," Jenny interjected coldly.

"I know," he nodded, looking at his feet. "I'm sorry . . . it's just that - "

"She got to you," Jenny finished his sentence for him.

"Yeah," he sighed, looking ashamed of herself.

"What did she say?"

"Oh the usual," he said quietly. "I'm not good enough for you . . . that you're just using me . . . that you're just going to dump me when you're bored . . ."

"And you believed her?" Jenny said in disbelief, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, reaching over and resting his hand on her bare arm. "I know you're not like that; I just panicked."

"Well you wouldn't be the first to be taken in by Felicity Lewis," Jenny conceded, shuffling her feet.

"So can we just . . . start again?" Cutter asked hopefully.

Jenny looked up at him, and saw his eyes searching her face for a reaction. She sighed and nodded her head slightly. His face cracked into a smile.

"But," Jenny said sharply, pointing at him. "If you ever question my integrity again, that's it, do you understand?"

"Completely," Cutter nodded enthusiastically. "It won't happen again."

"I should think not," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "And you, Nick Cutter, are the most fascinating, handsome, supremely irritating man I've ever met. And I love you. And don't you ever believe anyone who tells you otherwise okay?"

"Okay," he smiled reluctantly, before leaning in to kiss her. She kissed him back with equal enthusiasm.

"Let's go to bed," Jenny sighed as they broke away. "It's been a _long_ day."

"Hmmm," said Cutter in mock-thoughtfulness as he steered her towards the bed. "I wouldn't mind these pajamas becoming a permanent fixture. You look so cute."

"Shut up Cutter," Jenny smiled.

********

**All done and dusted :) sorry it can't be longer but there was only so much to play with with this idea. **

**I hope you enjoyed it anyway. **

**Please review :D**

**Nikki x**


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